National Knit Mittens Month 2010

We're only a few days out from January 2010, which is my favourite month for a couple of reasons: my birthday falls at the end of it (on the 30th) and because it's also now National Knit Mittens Month, a cause that I can definitely get behind. Alternately known as NaKniMitMo, it's a month-long KAL with contests (and prizes!) to keep those mitten projects dripping off your needles. All the necessary information about the KAL is right over here, in the official Ravelry group. I took part last year, and it was lots of fun.

I'm also extra excited about this year because my new mitten pattern, Anna's Mittens, is the official pattern of NaKniMitMo 2010. The best part? The pattern is on sale for $4 USD from now until the end of January 2010 in honour of the KAL. Pick up a copy here. I had been toying around with the idea of a big, highly-textured pair of mittens in a delicious red for a while – something with a big, hearty cuff, a smattering of floral-inspired colourwork on said cuff and big, pure uninterrupted bits of screaming colour with plenty of purling for texture and interest.I always walk around with this (probably totally incorrect, but still, to me it makes sense) version of Folk Art in my head and sometimes this comes out in my work. These mittens are one of my attempts to create my own body of Folk Art from a country that may or may not have ever existed (but may or may not be located somewhere in central Europe. Possibly.)They’re named “Anna’s Mittens” after my friend Anna, who is actually European, unlike the mittens. They were her Christmas present this year. She loved them!

So now all I have to do is decide which mittens I'll be knitting next month. With any luck, a couple of new mitten patterns will be created in the process.